July 25th Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Good Morning! WOW, lots to cover today, luckily I know where to start. Happy Birthday Dad! Love you!

Next, LOCAL AUTHORS (Belle Mead, Branchburg, Bridgewater, Flagtown, Flemington, Hillsborough, Manville, Montgomery, Neshanic, North Branch, Raritan, Rocky Hill, Somerville, Three Bridges), you only have SIX (6) DAYS LEFT to register for the First Annual HillsboroughLibrary Author’s Day. Initially there were only 20 – 25 authors who were going to be selected, but after some creative rearranging, there is room for more, but the slots are filling up fast.

THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THIS EVENT. It’s a day for you to come out, sell some books, and network with other authors in the area.

The book signing will be from 1 – 4, but there is going to be a workshop, or possibly two, prior to the event (details are still getting hammered out). Also, during the signing, there are going to be readings done by the authors. (I think it will be a “pull names out of a hat” process.) Again, I will have more details for you as they become available.

Look, it’s going to be a great day. Click on the link above, and sign up. I can’t wait to see you there!

Now all NON-AUTHORS - if you happen to be in Hillsborough, New Jersey on Saturday, November 15^th, please stop by the event. We already have authors from numerous genres, both fiction and non-fiction (coffee table books, biographies, memoirs, poetry, children and YA, romance, mystery, and horror), so there’s a little something for everyone. Events like these are much more laid back than the ones held at the big name bookstores. You’ll get to meet and actually chat with the authors, not just get pushed through a line.

Hey, you can get a jump on your holiday shopping for the readers on your list. How great a gift is a signed copy of a book?

So, last night’s critique group went well. I was the only one who brought anything to share, so we spent most of the time talking about the Author’s Day event. I brought with me a chapter of Faerie Tale Queen that I was having an issue with; there was just something not quite right, and I couldn’t figure out what.

Now, I really don’t like just pulling a random chapter out of thin air. When I bring stuff to a critique group, I start with chapter one and then go chronologically, otherwise it takes forever to get folks up to speed so they have a clue what’s going on, but I was desperate. I couldn’t get the chapter to gel, and even though I pushed forward, it was still a big distraction, and I kept revisiting it.

Since I was the only one who brought something to share, the eight of us hashed it out for a good twenty minutes after I finished reading, and I think I can make it work now. I have one sentence to delete, one small dialogue exchange to add, and one cat reference to reflect change of mood and one food reference to mark passage of time to plop in, and I can move on. The fix was so easy, I just couldn’t see it, and it bogged me down.

I know I’ve said it before, but the benefit I get from these various writing groups I have joined is immeasurable. I have learned so much, and I have grown so much as a writer because of them. Their value to me is priceless. I encourage all writers to get involved with writing groups in their area. You won’t be disappointed.

Today I only have a few hours to write. Yeah, I know it’s Friday, a day I usually spend all day writing because I don’t have to go to work, but Dani laid a guilt trip on me last night. Summer is half over and she has only left the house three times. The poor child is bored out of her skull. So today we are going to catch a matinée.

At noon, we are going to see Lucy. If you haven’t seen the previews for the movie yet, you should check it out. It looks interesting. It’s the story about a woman, because of some incident, becomes able to use 100% of her brain’s capabilities.

Although the number 10% is thrown around a lot when they talk about how much brain function the average person uses at one time, more current research has shown it is closer to 16%. Regardless, the percentage of our brain we utilize at any given time is still a paltry amount. (In actuality, your entire brain is in use, just not all at the same time.) It’s reported that even geniuses, like Einstein, use less than 20% of their brains. Could you imagine what it would be like to tap into more of your potential? If you’ll excuse the pun, it’s mindboggling. Anyway, it’s a fascinating concept, and even though the movie is pure fiction, I am looking forward to seeing it.

Okay, I’m off to tweak chapter 42 of Fairy Tale Queen, and then hopefully be able to pound out chapter 43 as well. I hope you have a fantastic day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

This ought to be good…

“This ought to be good.”

“Mmm Hmm.”

“Got the camera?”

“Yup.”

“So what do you think, America’s Funniest or Caught on Camera?”

“I’m thinking Ridiculousness.”

“Ouch, really?”

“Have you known any of Buddy’s ‘brilliant ideas’ not to be complete disasters?”

“Good point. Oh, there he goes.”

“I can’t believe he’s actually doing this. He’s such an ass.”

“No. No. NO!”

“Oh CRAP!”

“Put down the camera, and call an 911.”

Your Next Challenge is:

Fire lit the night sky…

You have ten minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count, and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

August 17th

Hi, it’s Christina –

Well at least today is as yucky as yesterday was or I’d really be bummed. The rest of the family put the kibosh on my staying at the house and cleaning up while they went to the movies, so we all went to see Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters. It was ok, in my opinion not as good as the first, but still enjoyable. The movie starts off really well, but then it just starts to fizzle and in the end, the monster does die just a little too easily – No, that was not a spoiler. Obviously Percy perseveres; there are several books in the series. They do get bonus points for the tie-in to the next movie, it was well done, and I want a Hippocampus! Not that I would have anywhere to keep him mind you, but I still want one.

Since I know better than to attempt pizza down here, our usual Friday fare, we gambled and went to a Chinese buffet. Nothing extraordinary, but what do you expect for $8.95? They did have one thing (other than the fried dough rolled in sugar that I’m a sucker for) which was very tasty. It was a fried ravioli, for lack of a better description, stuffed with a crabmeat and cream cheese mixture. I had three! I even asked the owner what they were and she told me how to make them. Next church progressive dinner where I have the appetizer course, guess what’s going to be on the menu…

I get a text from my sister-in-law last night asking me which sister-in-law’s house I was having dinner at Sunday night, because she wasn’t going to be back from Dorney Park until around midnight. If you don’t know me personally, you probably did not find the last statement amusing in the least. However, for those of you who do know me and my family, you are probably chuckling because you know I only have one sister-in-law. This is what I get when I just listen to what my kids tell me and I don’t verify the information with an adult. I was wondering why my sister-in-law would come home from Dorney early so we could have dinner. Needless to say there was a bit of giggling last night while we exchanged texts. Well, at least I found out she actually reads my blog. J

The house next door to us is occupied by actual owners of the home, and this rental property shares a fence with them. Along the fence is one of the most unusual flowers I have ever seen and I asked the owner if I could take a clipping and see if I can get it to grow up by me. She told me to dig up one of the shoots instead; I would probably have better luck. So I did. I hope it will take at home. Here’s what the flowers look like. Isn’t it amazing?

 

Too bad the picture doesn’t do it justice, and since it was early in the morning, the flower wasn’t opened all the way. When it is bright and sunny, all those squiggly things make it look like the flower has a lace collar. It really is lovely.

OK, coffee’s finished and it is almost time to roust the troops, so I’d better wrap up. I’m going to have them load up the car while I sweep and vacuum, then we are out of here. This time it will be a final goodbye to the Outer Banks. Sorry, I know there are a ton of OBX fans out there, I’m just not one of them. Until tomorrow…

Hope you have a Great Day and Happy Writing!

July 18th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

Greetings and salutations! Giggle. I always thought that was a rather redundant greeting. I’m tired, can you tell? My son didn’t leave until almost midnight last night. When he left, I straightened up the little that was left to do and then I made a mistake. I sat down in the living room instead of just giving my husband a kiss and going to bed. Yup, you guessed it. I got interested in the show he was watching. I think it was called American Ninja. People compete in an obstacle course, and if they can get to the end of the course, they advance to the next round. I’m sure the next round is a harder course. Considering the show is at an ungodly hour, I doubt I will ever watch it again, but it was fun cheering on some of the contestants.

Spoke to the girls last night and my youngest one is having a horrible time. For the second night in a row, she asked if we could come and get her. Since she is merely miserable and not in danger, the answer has been “No”, but I tell you it’s been difficult to stay firm. The food they have been serving the kids has been some pretty strange choices. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have eaten a majority of the things, and I’m not a fussy eater. So, my daughter has eaten very little since Sunday. There is no air conditioning in the convent, so she hasn’t been sleeping well. She was stung by a bee on Tuesday and hit in the face with a volleyball during rec time yesterday. She was in tears last night because she was hungry and overtired. I asked my other daughter to take her down to the kitchen and forage for some food so her little sister could eat. After she told me she should be able to find some cereal for her, I felt a little better.

 

My older daughter has been on this trip three times and has always had a wonderful experience. She’s even complaining this time about the food and the heat, but here’s where the maturity level kicks in (because if they were both having a horrible time and wanted to come home, I would probably have buckled and driven the six hours to go get them). She says, “I can suck it up for a week if it means being able to give these nice people a working toilet; make it so they don’t need to bathe in a plastic kiddie pool like the one we use to give Colby a bath, and keep their ceiling from literally falling on their heads. These are grandparents; they shouldn’t have to live this way.”

 

Today is there last day to “work”. Tomorrow they are going to some amusement park and then they are coming home on Saturday. Hopefully, there will be better food today. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

  

Your Last Challenge was:

 

You are doing the “right before the holidays thorough cleaning”, so you are actually dusting off all the movies in your collection, when something very strange happens…

 

You are not going to believe this. I still don’t believe this. I’m doing my semi-annual scrub the house from floor to ceiling cleaning, and I get to the entertainment center. This is my least favorite thing to clean because it requires moving all the electronics so they can be thoroughly cleaned, which makes me nervous I’m going to damage an expensive piece of equipment. It also means removing all the movies, wiping them down, making sure everything is in its proper case, and trying to put them in some logical semblance of order.  

This time I started with two piles, kid’s movies and adult movies. I laugh at the disparity of the fifteen to one ratio. I believe my children own every Disney movie ever made. So, either because I am a glutton for punishment or perhaps I was just procrastinating from moving on to the next cleaning chore, I decided to alphabetize the movies before cleaning them and putting them away. When I was done, I cleaned the shelf thoroughly and grabbed the first movie off of my pile. I wipe and POOF, a cloud of dust comes. I cough, wave my hands in front of my face and even sneeze. When the dust clears, I take a good look at the movie to see if it was going explode on me again, but all I see is Aladdin and Jasmine smiling back at me.

I wipe one last time, place the movie into its slot and reach for the next one on my pile, that’s when I hear a voice behind me.

 

Your Next Challenge is:

 

 

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.